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I agree with you The fat aussie is hear to pick up his wages and will spend well over half the season injured. This is not about Viduka, Smith or Duff and what wages they are on. It's about the club receiving a bid for a wantaway player at four times his worth. I disagree, this is the club panicking and getting rid of assets people will actually buy, nobody would touch Viduka, Smith or Duff on the wages they are on with the track record they have hence why they are still here. N'zogbia wanted out and even said so but he is still here!!! Milner was a sucess at Aston Villa and with the lack of right wingers about he is a very sellable asset and with the window approaching his value has risen. Not at all disputing that 12 Mil is good value for money but it is the fact we need the money and won't be spending any that is dis-heartening D Man speaks sense.

I'm guessing Smith, Viduka and Duff are all on more than Milner wage wise. If Mike Ashley wants to save a few quid on wages then get rid of them before Milner ffs. Keegan and the rest of the players no doubt pissed off. Doubt if we had the money to spunk on Modric never mind his wages if we can't afford to give Milner around an extra 10k a week or whatever. Smith to Everton would have been a dream come true, this is a nightmare despite the potential fee. p.s. i know some of you will disagree that Milner is not better than viduka, but your very wrong

Absolutely gutted if he goes!! If we haven't got a better replacement lined up then we've just taken a huge step backwards. I thought/hoped/expected we'd keep him AND sign at least add one or two more quality players. The lad was nice, honest, hard working, not injury prone, two footed, talented, young, very versatile and getting better. A very valuable member of our paper thin squad Keegan must be very frustrated and doing his nut. He would have walked ove something like this in the past (and i woulden't be shocked if he does now) The players too have complained that our squad's not big enough and this will do our team spirit no good at all. A VERY BAD SIGN OF THINGS TO COME< WE HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO CHANCE OF COMPETEING WITH THE BIG BOYS IF WE CAN@T KEEP EVEN THE JAMES MILNERS OF THIS WORLD

Thats the team i'd go for too . I'm being too optimistic here i know, but i think we can win 2-1. Arsenal don't look all that good to me so far this season. Butt and Guthrie holding alowing strikers and wingers to really go for it. Big shame Martins is out for this one.

This really does surprise me. Didn't strike me as the greedy type or unhappy. But then again this is just normal now in football and the old geordie saying 'shy bairns get nowt' usually seems to be the case. Agents seem to encourage their clients to make a bit of a song and a dance about things in order to get what they want, which most of the time seems to be money followed by success. Puts me off football, the greed , the obscene amount of money they are paid, the almost total lack of loyalty to home town clubs i just don't understand it at all. i.e. Very hypothetically speakng, I'd want to 100% to play for the Toon, if man u offered more money and success, i still woulden't want to go as i'm black and white through and through. However we can't afford to let Milner leave, really rate the lad, he's been a credit to himself and the club up until now , i'd give him the same deal as Taylor if thats what he really wants . Not as if he's demanding to be on a par with little Mickeynow is it.

I went to game yesterday, very enjoyable and Milner stole the show, absolutely brilliant. First half we could have been 4-0 up as we had more shots blocked by the very creditworthy Coventry team than i can remeber in a game. As it happens Coventry hit us on the break in the last minute of the game and its 2-1 at half time. So its game on again after it looked we would hammer them. Second half is alot more even with both teams having chances and them scoring in the last seconds to take it to extra time. ET A beautifull pass from the impressive Enrique to Owen who tucks it away gives us the victory. They hit the bar and we win. My Ratings: Given 7.5 - a couple of good saves and nothing wrong. Beye 6 - Good most of the time, a few mistakes. Colo 7.5 - Classy display. Bassong 7 Solid Enough Enrique - 8 Very Impressive Zoggy - 7.5 Some very good runs. Butt - 7 Good most of the time, some fantastic tackles. Guthrie 6 ok ish, not bad, but not all that good either. Geremi 6.5 Good ish Jonas 7 - Tried hard, got hacked down a few times, a threat. Milner 9.5 - MOM Simply Brilliant last night. Could have had a hatrick on another day. Scored one made one and had a few almost certain goals blocked by the creditworthy Coventry. Hard enough being a lone striker (as Jonas spent much of his time in CM), especially when your a winger, he held it up superbly had a few good shots blocked by Coventry who were just chucking themselves in front of his shots Taylor style. Gave 120 %. Owen 7.5 Saved our ass again. Has this brilliant knack of scoring goals lol.

Milner is a quality player imo great game v man u, boundless energy. Young two footed, not as slow as some on here think, can shoot, great engine and attitude, crosses aren't always 100% its true but overall a very good player. I would look at improving on Smith, Duff, Viduka, Cacapa and Butt way way before Milner.

Given urged to keep stopping the ball going in his net Shock!!!! He gets paid for THAT!!!!!!!! Even worse, it looks like he's lifted the story straight off the official site! http://www.nufc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10278~1371793,00.html you know its a slow day when you see stories like this, or even worse, when you see "Rob Lee Says Newcastle Need To Win" "Steven Taylor says fans can roar Toon to victory on Saturday." Accompanied by a photo of him pumping fist and/or throwing shirt at fans. Love Stevy T, He has the potential to be a great at Newcastle, loves the badge more than anyone else in the squad The punching the air and throwing the shirt is not an act with him, he genuinely loves the club, so get off his fukin back He was outstanding on Sunday, after sustaining an injury that 95% of players would have come off with. He will get better. Colo and Stevy 4 5 years Would 100% agree with you normaly Sicko as think Taylor s a cracking player for us too who will shut his critics up big time this season. However think Fugazi was just joking taking the piss out of the press, not so much Taylor.

I haven't got a strong opinion on this one, but if i had to have an opinon it would be this: IF someone came in with a reasonable/very good offer for him and IF he was willing to go and IF we could get a good replacement i'd personally sell him. Especially as he has 1 year left on his contract and IF he woulden't sign another one. Lots of IF's there though. I woulden't be shocked if Keegan gets us very creative this season and he ends up having a good season, because he's a good finisher. On the other side of the coin. He's expensive, Injury prone and not as good or quick as he was, now might be the bestime to cash in. I would ideally like Owen and Martins to stay and add a 'Drogba type' striker (ok i know we won't get one quite that good) Big, prefferably quick striker who can finish, hold the ball up ect. If the Mackems can find K. Jones surely we can find someone better! I still want us to have a 'Big Man' quality striker. I don't rate Smith and unlike many on here i do not rate Viduka either.

Hope we get someone else in of similar or better quality though. Agreed! No more Luque/Marcelino type characters.

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I think he'll probably start with Butt and probably the team that did so well at Man u. I like this team though, very attacking. Think we need Enrique for his height and better defensive qualities v Bolton, gives Zoggy a chance to redeem himself in his best position which he is very capable of doing, i noticed v man u, milner spent alot of time in the middle, more so late on. I fancy Jonas to carve them up down either wing but it would be especially good if he could get in behind them. Alot of responsibility on Guthrie if we go with this formation though.

Think and certainly hope you are right. It just Bolton's best shot to beat us will be keep it tight as poss, frustrate us, try to get our crowd on our back and smack long balls up to Kevin Davies who will murder Cacapa in the air (IF he plays). Set pieces we will also struggle with, i also hope we don't give many away. Saying all that, IF i HAD to bet my house on this game, i'd bet on us. Looking forward to seeing Jonas play in particular.

Cheers Alpal78 You've got my point and are exactly right in my humble opinion. Faye's departure and the possibility of Cacapa coming in for Taylor has me worried , as Bolton are a very big physical team who scored 2 headers v Stoke (ok, i know) and could have had a few more too. So i'm sticking my neck out saying yes i think we'll struggle in the air IF , again IF Taylor out Cacapa in. That said on the ground we should kick their ass with our Speed/Skill. The rest of you doubting dave's and parky's etc who disagree may all prove me wrong yet, we will see this weekend.

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100% agree and really hope we do replace him.

I agree with you there.

I was thinking this also, that no way some of the players mentioned are that tall, but i didn't care to find out for sure.. You are right with Gallas yes, sorry i had in my head he was 6'2 for some reason. The rest i did actually look up, check if you want. (they tend to differ by an inch depending on which site you go to). Disagree with you on Woodgate 6'2 he is good in the air as is Dawson 6'2 Arsenal have had problems with their lack of height in the past i.e. BSA Bolton used to beat them. Wenger played Johan Djourdou (6'4) v west brom. We could do with a player like this now Faye has gone. I'm sure their are more minor points we could argue over and sidetrack away from the real issue. Again my point is i think we are a CB (Faye type) short and we could regret this especially now Taylor could be out and KK has been bigging up Cacapa. I remember Cacapa being poor in the air last year, in paricular Howard from Derby bullied him big time and could easilly have had a hatrick.

You speak some sense, Taylor looked the most dominant CB in the air for me on Sunday. Colo looked good too, more of a classy ball playing defender to me and not as big physically as taylor but very good for sure. Its not an argument i want to get into on that subject. I admit i haven't seen much of Bassong at all, hopefully he's really good in the air and on the deck, i know he's very young and 6'0. 100% agree with you saying that they should be worried with our pace. My point is i think we are a CB (Faye type) short and we could regret this especially now Taylor could be out and KK has been bigging up Cacapa. I remember Cacapa being poor in the air last year, in paricular Howard from Derby bullied him big time and could easilly have had a hatrick.

Is that what your missus has led you to believe

Absloutly agree hight idoesn't pass the ball it is just one compnenet and We shouldn't worry too much for hight. Height may not pass the ball...no, but height and strength are quite handy things to have when you have to win a header against a big b****** CF. You have played football yourself before i take it? like i said before,.... did you see oba score on sunday? yes i did, great leap and great goal!..... But i don't think we should have him marking kevin Davies and Elmander.

Mark my words, if Taylor is out and we don't replace Faye we WILL get punished. Hardly 'midgets' Pique 6'2 Marquez 5'11, Henry 6'2, Hleb 6'1 Gudjohnsson 6'1 Different bloody league in spain anyway, give me a Premier League example? Arsenal. Man Utd. Tottenham. Etc. It can be important, but it's not the be-all and end-all. er i think your point here is moot, they all have tall cb's good in the air i.e. Man u have vidic and Duck face who are both good in the air, Tottenham have loads, Arsenal played with Gallas 6'2 who is solid and johan djourou 6'4 !!! I'm just saying that we are short on a big physical CB now Faye has gone!

Absloutly agree hight idoesn't pass the ball it is just one compnenet and We shouldn't worry too much for hight. Height may not pass the ball...no, but height and strength are quite handy things to have when you have to win a header against a big bastard CF. You have played football yourself before i take it?

Mark my words, if Taylor is out and we don't replace Faye we WILL get punished. Hardly 'midgets' Pique 6'2 Marquez 5'11, Henry 6'2, Hleb 6'1 Gudjohnsson 6'1 Different bloody league in spain anyway, give me a Premier League example?

Doubt it he's 6'0 and weak as piss in the air. Seen the size of Bolton's team? Elmander 6'2 and the very physical Kevin Davies 6'1 will murder him in the air never mind the bigger lads coming up from the back for set plays/corners etc Muamba 6'2, Nolan 6'0 Steinsson 6'3, Gary Cahill 6'2 and a certain Andy O'brien 6'2 I think we are in real trouble if Taylors out especially now Faye has gone. Mind you so are they if O'brien marks Martins